Stoneman Douglas football coach, citing 2018 tragedy, resigns

Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School head football coach talks new season

Head football coach for Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Willis May shares what he looks forward too in the upcoming season. Gage Gaynor, offensive guard describes his leadership mindset.
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Head football coach for Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Willis May shares what he looks forward too in the upcoming season. Gage Gaynor, offensive guard describes his leadership mindset.
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Marjory Stoneman Douglas football coach Willis May is resigning from his post, an announcement that comes a little more than a year after the school shooting in which 17 people were killed and another 17 were injured.

A call to May by the Miami Herald on Thursday afternoon was not returned, but he told both the South Florida Sun Sentinel and ESPN that the shooting at the Parkland high school on Feb. 14, 2018, played a role in his decision. Assistant football coach Aaron Feis and athletic director Chris Hixon were among the 17 killed.

“We’ve had a lot of friends and a lot of support in the Parkland community, but I just need a change,” May told ESPN. “I love football and I want it to be fun. I want to go to work every day and be excited, and right now I go to work every day and it’s miserable.”

May, 51, took over as head coach at Stoneman Douglas in 2013. The Eagles went 33-26 in that span, including a 5-5 record last year. Douglas won its first home game of 2018 by 17 points (23-6) over South Broward and honored the shooting victims at their final home game, a 31-20 loss to Taravella. An ESPN documentary followed the team over the course of last season.

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Jordan McPherson covers the Miami Marlins and high school sports for the Miami Herald. He attended the University of Florida and covered the Gators athletic program for five years before joining the Herald staff in December 2017.